Increased automation creates greater accident risk due to the disconnect between designer, client and end-user

A recent study into the design processes used to create new rail technologies and associated business processes, and rework existing systems, indicated a serious disconnect between designer, client and enduser. The disconnect results in design flaws that can cause unsafe and sometimes disastrous operational outcomes in rail networks. It was estimated in 1999 by the Australian Bureau of Transport and Regional Economics (BTRE) that design errors cost the Australian rail industry more than $30 million a year out of a total of $133 million. This paper will argue that many of the accidents attributed to lhuman errorr in this report may have had prior design error as a primary cause. Study results suggested that the Systems Development Life Cycle model chosen to guide the design process has an important effect on the degree to which technologies, devices and business systems might contain design errors. It was also shown that, although the literature, work practices, and government legislation in some countries demonstrate the value of involving end-users in the design process, three quarters of the designers who participated in the study did not involve end-users in a recent project. It was also shown that errors can occur in every stage of the design process, with the design concept phase and testing being the highest risk areas. Business processes operating in design situations were also shown to exacerbate error potential n particularly when they impose constraints, such as limited budget, short delivery time, and lack of appropriate resources, on the quality and safety of the design product. Rail operation relies on communications and control technologies, and these technologies are being updated and replaced at an increasing pace. It is reasonable to assume that cases of incident, accident, and disaster related to these new technologies may become more prevalent in the future, as systems become more complex and greater levels of automation are introduced. It is becoming increasingly important that steps are taken to remove error by modifying the design processes used in the development and upgrading of these technologies. Strategies are suggested in this paper for addressing the disconnect between designer, client and end-user so that the incidence of design error can be mitigated, and rail system operations made safer, more efficient and less costly.